Back rests



Feb. 25, 1964 w. M. EMERY 3,121,884

BACK RESTS Filed Sept. 27, 1963 FIG. I

United States Patent 3,121,884 BACK RESTS William M. Emery, New Providence, NJ, assignor to Better Sleep Mfg. o., Berkeley Heights, Null, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 27,,1963, Ser. No. 312,044 Claims. (Cl. 532.7)

My present invention refers to infinitely adjustable, triply reversible, foldable back rests.

Previous back rests provide only a limited selection of angles predetermined by notches or ridges associated with one end of the rest into which the other end or brace engages. One purpose of my present invention is to eliminate said specific notches, grooves, ridges, etc. providing instead an infinite adjustment.

The construction of folding back rests may be described as being three sided or triangular with a separable joint at the rear of base. An exception is my previous Patent No. 3,041,637 that had the'joint near the apex. Another object is to provide a folding back rest offering a greater range of angle by means of being suitable for use with any one of its three sides down, thus making it triply reversible.

A further object is to provide a hinged structure of three substantially flat surfaces or panels integrally selfjoined that will slip into a fabric tube, completely covered thereby, and yet retain its operability as previously described.

These and other objects together with their successful attainment will be obvious from the following specification and claims when considered with the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the inside stiffener structure,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the back rest with the long end as a base and the middle section supporting the back,

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the adjustment for various angles,

FIG. 4 is a similar view but with the long end down showing the flatter inclinations thereby available,

FIG. 5 is a similar view but with the mid-section down,

FIG. 6 is a view showing the back rest completely folded, and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the fabric covered end.

FEGURE 1 shows a flat sheet of triple corrugated board 1% hinged by creasing at 9 to provide three panels, 11 and 12 being the same length and 13 being shorter. Variation of the relative lengths of these panels will vary the range of angles obtainable. Strapped to the end corners 14 of end 17 is a strip or loop of elastic 15.

FIGURES 2 and 7 show board covered by fabric 24) which is sewed to form a loose tube or sleeve closed at one end. T he other end is closed by 3 snaps 21, 22 and 23 so positioned as to allow elastic 15 to project from the corners of fabric tube 20.

End 16 of panel 13 is then inserted in the loop of elastic 15 and as shown in FIG. 3 by sliding or shifting the loop of 15 along panel 13 a variety of angles are produced without any predetermined stops, notches, grooves or the like which are so common to other back rests in the art. The elastic tension of 15 in combination with the frictional qualities of fabric cover plus the resultant of forces incident to the angles involved result in an excellent and sufiicient holding power to make the back rest stable in any of the infinite angles within its range of adjustment.

As shown in FIG. 4 the back rest can be reversed so end 16 rests down and end 17 is adjustably movable on panel 13 to effect in panel 12 an infinite variety of flatter angles.

Likewise FIG. 5 shows the triply reversible back rest in a third position with ends 16 and 17 up and section 12 down. This position also allows the more extended bracing of 18 against the head board of a bed.

A plurality of elastic loops 30 are provided to hold the users own pillow in a variety of positions, one of which is shown in FIG. 2. Another might consist of a second loop around panel 11 in FIG. 2 so that a pillow could be placed and held over the top of apex 18. These elastic loops could, of course, be shifted to any effective position as the back rest is triply reversed or repositioned as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The loops 30 or elastic 15 can also be used to hold the back rest in its folded position shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6 short panel 13 is shown folded in between equal panels 11 and 12 making a very fiat and convenient package for travel or storage.

A convenient pocket 45 is provided as part of covering 20. It is so designed and positioned as to function in the position shown in both FIGS. 2 and 4.

It is noteworthy that most folding back rests depend on gravity to hold the brace in a pre-selected supporting po sition with reference to the base member or the back supporting member. Springs or elastic members when permanently attached to both brace member and one other member preclude the use of the easy removable tubular fabric covering. In my present invention the elastic is fastened to only one member and in such a manner that it may extend through the open end of the tubular cover without interfering with its closure, and providing a loop through which the other end may adjustably slide. When so functioning the elastic loop is prestressed to provide a holding friction with said cover effective in all three possible positions of the triangular folding back rest.

From this description, it is obvious that I have invented a novel structure that greatly simplifies folding back rest construction and provides a much greater range and variety of angles of repose than anything else shown in the art of folding and portable three sided back rests.

Accordingly, I claim:

1. A back rest of triangular construction when in use and capable of being folded flat for storage, comprising a normally back supporting mid-section, an end brace section and an end base section, and a resilient frictional holding loop means attached only to an end of one of said end sections and proportioned so that the other end section can pass through said resilient loop and be held frictionally thereby in any selected position along its length to provide various angles for said back supporting midsection yet be manually slidable within said loop to provicle a range of easily varied selectable angles.

2. A back rest of triangular construction when in use and capable of being folded flat in three folds for storage, comprising a normally back supporting mid-section, and two end sections, one longer than the other, resilient frictional holding loop means attached only to the end of said longer end section and proportioned so that the other end section can pass through said resilient loop to be held frictionally thereby in a indeterminate number of positions to provide a wide range of angles for said back supporting mid-section and yet to be manually slidable within said loop to easily vary said angle within said range.

3. A back rest structure capable of being fully extended and also suitable of being folded substantially flat into a package substantially one third its total length when extended, having a normally back supporting mid-section, an end brace section and an end base section, an elastic frictional holding means attached to one end of only one of said end sections to provide a loop so proportioned that the other end of said end sections can be passed through said loop and be held only frictionally thereby to maintain a selectable angle of repose for said back supporting midsection yet be manually slidable within said loop to vary said selectable angle, and a tube of fabric forming a substantially complete and separable covering for said structure, while allowing the extension of said loop therefrom, said fabric covering providing a surface particularly suitable for said frictional holding means.

4. A back rest of triangular construction when in use and capable of being both stretched out to its total length and folded flat for storage into approximately one third said total length comprising a mid-section and two end sections, at least one section being shorter than the other sections, a resilient frictional holding loop means attached only to one of said end sections and proportioned to allow the other end section to pass there through and be held frictionally thereby in any selected position within the range of angles resulting therefrom, said triangular construction and said loop means being such that two or more of said sections may optionally be positioned as the base of the triangle of construction and the relative lengths of said sections being such that at least two materially dilierent ranges of angles usable for resting the back there against are obtainable when said different sections are used as the base of said triangular construction.

5. A back rest of triangular construction when in use and capable of being folded fiat in three closely adjacent folds for storage, comprising a mid-section and two end sections, one longer than the other, resilient frictional holding loop means attached only to the end of said longer end section and proportioned to allow the other end section to pass there through and to be held frictionally thereby in any selected position Within the range of angles resulting therefrom and said triangular construction and the holding power of said loop means being such that two or more of said sections may optionally be positioned as the base of the triangular construction and the relative lengths of said sections being such as to produce at least two different ranges of angles usable for resting the back there against dependent upon which of said sections is positioned as the base of said triangular construction.

References (Jilted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,613,731 Roginski Oct. 14, 1952 2,940,210 Aulds June 14, 1960 3,041,637 Emery July 3, 1962 

1. A BACK REST OF TRIANGULAR CONSTRUCTION WHEN IN USE AND CAPABLE OF BEING FOLDED FLAT FOR STORAGE, COMPRISING A NORMALLY BACK SUPPORTING MID-SECTION, AN END BRACE SECTION AND AN END BASE SECTION, AND A RESILIENT FRICTIONAL HOLDING LOOP MEANS ATTACHED ONLY TO AN END OF ONE OF SAID END SECTIONS AND PROPORTIONED SO THAT THE OTHER END SECTION CAN PASS THROUGH SAID RESILIENT LOOP AND BE HELD FRICTIONALLY THEREBY IN ANY SELECTED POSITION ALONG ITS LENGTH TO PROVIDE VARIOUS ANGLES FOR SAID BACK SUPPORTING MIDSECTION YET BE MANUALLY SLIDABLE WITHIN SAID LOOP TO PROVIDE A RANGE OF EASILY VARIED SELECTABLE ANGLES. 